I want dreads so bad

[Fethenwen]

Well, I'm starting to get this dread fewer thing again, it hit me real bad now. It comes and goes, but now when summer is coming up I feel really strongly that I want to dread my hair more than ever.

Pics like this are very encouraging:

http://bonkurei.blogg.se/images/2009/balhr_40519880.jpg
moderator ETA: pleas note the On Posting Pictures - Hotlinking with IMG Tags and Copyright Issues (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=35939), thanks.

One times I saw a girl with waist long dreads and red hair and she had beads and ribbons in them, it was so beautiful I almost cried :p

BUT, the thing that is keeping me from dreading is my dear boyfriend. He loves my long hair that cutie pie :( I would hate to see his disappointment if I went and got my hair dreaded. He says that he would not want me to do it.

But I love everyhing about this hairstyle, it is soooo low maintenance. And the freedom of having it, my gosh!

I would never have to worry about:

How to style my hair
That my hair would look oily and I would have to wash it
Hair products
Hair looking limp
Hair looking awful somedays (it would look awful in a good way everyday :D)
Brushing it
Ecological footprint of washing my hair so often and using various products

etc. etc.

I do like pampering my hair, but I would love to not HAVE to do it to make it look good.

Anyway, I think I would not do it just yet anyway if I would because I think should grow it a bit longer first. It's a bit longer than APL now, so just a few months and it would be quite good length to start forming dreads in it.


I wonder if you have any opinions about my situation here, do you think it would be selfish of me to get dreads even if my boyfriend don't want me to?

And also I would like to hear your comments about dreads overall :) Love them, hate them?

If someone here has any experiences with dreads, please tell your story :cheese: What technique did you use to get them?

[Igor]

Maybe you can make temporary dreads with some coconut oil. It seems to give the hair some structure and hold
(I considered doing this myself :p )

[Toadstool]

I don't think it's selfish at all. Would you want your boyfriend to wear his hair in a style he didn't want just because you preferred it?
My ex fiance had beautiful shoulder length ringlets. Then one day he shaved his head. I much preferred his hair longer but what I cared about most was that he was happy with himself.
Everything you say sounds like you passionately want dreads. If that is the case I would say Go for it!

[kwaniesiam]

http://community.livejournal.com/get_up_dread_up/

Join there, read the memories, and absolutely do NOT use wax. That's all you really need to know but feel free to message me with any questions ;)

[Cleopatra18]

ehm im kind of new in this.can anyone tell me how to make dreads?

[Fencai]

I was gonna say, why don't you look into getting some double ended dreads and have them braided into your hair. Its not hard and that way you don't have to have them permanently. Ive done it from time to time, and usually do my one friends dread extentions in the summer time. You can get all kinds of thicknesses and lengths. have fun and splash some color into it!

Cleopatra- if you message me I can explain it. There's several different ways and I used to make them all the time. Now as I am too busy I just put the money into buying them premade.

[Mannaz]

Hey Fethenwen :)

First thing that comes to mind, that might be something to think about: hair shrinks A LOT when it forms dreads. When my hair started dreading - yes it was it's own decision in the beginning - it was somewhere between shoulder and Apl, and the dreads we're only about ten centimetres long after forming completely, shorter at the top, longer at the bottom layers.

I put on fake dreads for a while because it looked weird and wasn't long enough to put up... Altough I enjoyed the fake dreads too, I was kind of shocked at how much my hair shrinked in the process, and cause you propably have this scandinavian hairtype that I have, I'm pretty sure this would happen to you too. So yeah, if i was you I'd wait a few more months before starting the process!

Also It takes longer for dreads to grow than normal hair because it isn't growing "straight", if you know what i mean.

This is why i have decided to first grow my hair looooong and natural and enjoy that process, and then at some point let it dread itself, because that seems to be what it wants to do... At times I miss my dreads BADLY and start to think, "one dread would be just fine, right? I can have both straight and dreaded hair, right?" But I know I can't, the hair goes all mad if it senses even one dread, that's how it started the last time...

To form the dreads, the only thing I did to assist nature was backcoming and a lot of rolling the dreads between my palms to give them a good shape - this is a task you'll have to keep up all the way your dread journey, at least i had to. It could be compared to brushing one's hair I think... Also I didn't dread all of my hair at once but rather one or two at a time, it took months for them to create themselves and it was a really fun process and I was able to do really creative hairstyles at that point.

That picture is worth a :thud:BTW...

[Katze]

some great ideas so far.

I always wanted dreads for a couple of weeks - the pic you post is great, but I know it would take a LOT of time and energy to get to that point, since my hair is only barely at waist and dreads shrink your length!

The idea of double ended dreads braided in is great. Lots of women here in the more alternative scenes also have hair elastics with dreads or felt pieces that look like dreads in natural or unnatural colors - they look cool I think. Is something like that available where you live? They are all over the place in Germany.

The past two winters I have braided fake hair (from the African hair shop) into my nape hairs and that satisfies the urge for me, since it works better and fits better with my hair *type*.

We have a new friend who has fine blonde-ish hair and dreads a bit longer than BSL. They are bleached with sun in and look good on her, though they are a bit less tidy than I prefer dreads. A friend's son had dreads for a couple of years between the ages of 12 and 14 and had them started by a professional, so they were tidy and even.

If you really want them, why not?!? Just make sure you REALLY want them, and I would go to a professional to get them started - best, a salon that cares to very curly aka African hair, but also has experience doing dreads on your type of hair. It seems like it is a commitment akin to getting a tattoo, though less permanent...

good luck!

[Fethenwen]

Ah yes, the length thing :D I think I would have to grow my hair quite super long to make it look good if I get real dreadlocks. But I wonder, what if I would dread in some yarn or something to make extensions?

More temporary type of dreads would be the best solution I guess, gotta check out those double ended dreads you mentioned. I would love to have something like that for the summer! But I wonder if they are very tight at the scalp? I would hate to have too much scalp showing. The thing I like about dreads is that about an inch at the scalp is a bit more loose and untidy, so it sort of hides the scalp and makes the hair look more full.

I think my boyfriend would eventually grow into liking whatever I do to my hair :) Dreads is something I'm quite sure that would suit me by the way. Sometimes the more crazy my hair looks, the better I look overall :D Having too neat hair just isn't me.

[Nightshade]

There's lots of sellers on Etsy that make dreadfalls (http://www.etsy.com/search_results.php?search_query=dreadfalls&search_type=handmade):)

You could get a set close to your natural color for some test driving!

[Fethenwen]

^ Looks nice! Thanks.

[suicides_eve]

Anyone remember Atlantis Morrisettes video for 'one hand in my pocket'?? she had long dread looking twist that I fondly remember wanting. I believe they used shaving cream or something like that to help hold the look. Just sayin.

[Beets]

I had dreads for a while back in 2006. My hair didn't really take them, and I ended up being able to brush them out about 8 months later.

I love how they look, too, but I don't know that they were any lower maintenance than my non-dreaded hair. I still washed to keep the dirt and dust at bay. I had to "work" them a lot, rubbing them between my palms, trying to keep the roots locked up, etc.

I wasn't sorry that I did it. I loved them while I had them!

[Calista]

Swanns used to have temporary dreads, and she´s a fellow Finn, maybe she could help you. Temporary dreads sound like a good idea - you (and also your BF) could get an idea of how you like your hair dreaded without committing to it just yet.

[pennyroyal]

Hey Fethenwen :)

First thing that comes to mind, that might be something to think about: hair shrinks A LOT when it forms dreads. When my hair started dreading - yes it was it's own decision in the beginning - it was somewhere between shoulder and Apl, and the dreads we're only about ten centimetres long after forming completely, shorter at the top, longer at the bottom layers.

I put on fake dreads for a while because it looked weird and wasn't long enough to put up... Altough I enjoyed the fake dreads too, I was kind of shocked at how much my hair shrinked in the process, and cause you propably have this scandinavian hairtype that I have, I'm pretty sure this would happen to you too. So yeah, if i was you I'd wait a few more months before starting the process!

Also It takes longer for dreads to grow than normal hair because it isn't growing "straight", if you know what i mean.

This is why i have decided to first grow my hair looooong and natural and enjoy that process, and then at some point let it dread itself, because that seems to be what it wants to do... At times I miss my dreads BADLY and start to think, "one dread would be just fine, right? I can have both straight and dreaded hair, right?" But I know I can't, the hair goes all mad if it senses even one dread, that's how it started the last time...

To form the dreads, the only thing I did to assist nature was backcoming and a lot of rolling the dreads between my palms to give them a good shape - this is a task you'll have to keep up all the way your dread journey, at least i had to. It could be compared to brushing one's hair I think... Also I didn't dread all of my hair at once but rather one or two at a time, it took months for them to create themselves and it was a really fun process and I was able to do really creative hairstyles at that point.

That picture is worth a :thud:BTW...
i plan to do the same thing! grow my hair to my knees, enjoy it for awhile, & the let it dread back up! :)
dreads r amazing. i love them, always have. the hair does shrink up big time tho as they mature. this last time i had dreadies my hair was too short so i didn't like it. i cut em & have a pixie cut now which i am growin out.
my husband didn't want me to get dreads either but he knew it was what i wanted so he actually backcombed them for me. such a sweetie! :p u gotta do what u wanna do, honey!

[Fethenwen]

Calista - Hmm yeah. I should ask her about it :)

Beets - did your hair shrink a lot because of dreads? That is actually my main concern for not getting them right now.

But I was thinking of making them myself over time, without the horrible backcombing technique, so they would sort of stay more loose but tighten over time.

Like in this picture:

http://13.media.tumblr.com/rsf9ajnXqnkbzws2yCiVfwV7o1_500.jpg


Sorry guys for bombarding you with questions, but this whole dread thing is getting me so excited :D

pennyroyal - wow, your boyfriend is awesome ^^

[pennyroyal]

yea, he's pretty special. :p
if you are worried about your hair shrinking then keep growin for awhile before you dread up cause it will definitley shrink a lot! some people lose half their length! it depends on your hair type & whatnot.
that girl in the pic is gorgeous! :p

[christine1989]

Nooooooo!! If you change your mind then you can't go back. I had a friend who did it and regretted it so much- she had to cut all of her hair off and start from scratch. :(

[camirra555]

If it makes you happy, then go for it!

[Twil]

Put in twisties: They look like dreads, but you can take them out. And if you don't, they'll dread! It's a great inbetween hairsyle


ETA: In this forum, twists are called rope braids.

[NickalNack]

Nooooooo!! If you change your mind then you can't go back. I had a friend who did it and regretted it so much- she had to cut all of her hair off and start from scratch. :(
Buck up, never say die! That's no reason not to try something new is it? Nothing interesting'll ever happen. :D

I feel very sorry for your friend though... she actually didn't have to do that. If you decide you don't want dreads anymore there are other ways to remove them without cutting them all, and you can still retain a lot of length. It's a long, somewhat expensive process, but if you really can't live without your hair it's a small price to pay.

I've read a lot that you should douse it in conditioner and carefully take each loc out one by one, and then even mature dreads can be removed with this method.

[RocketDog]

I wore hip-length faux dreads for several years, sometimes in natural colors and other times not-so-natural. Loved every minute of it, apart from the installation and removal! If I were in a position to do them again, I'd do it in a heartbeat just for the fun of having a gigantic, dread-y ponytail (I should drag up some old photos...) but they are heavy, HOT, and can be unwieldy when they are very long.

Good luck with your decision!!

[aililiú]

fethenwen--

first of all - i totally understand loving dreads!
but i have to point out that in that second picture you posted, that girl does NOT have dreads. those are just twists, which you could do &then wash out. she might have some braided bits too.

i had dreads for over three years, and i did love them, but a lot of the info in this thread i did not find to be true!

first off, i dont think my hair hardly shrunk all that much in length when i put them it. i had collarbone/APL hair when i put them in, and by the time i cut them out, the ends were midback i believe.

i actually DID use the backcombing + beeswax method and it worked wonderfully. i wanted pretty dreads, not random conglomerations of matted hair. i never had a problem with the wax, and if i did dreads again, i would use wax again.

first off, i should warn you that dreads are a long-term commitment. i mean, yes, if you get tired of them, people have successfully conditioned theirs out, although its fairly unavoidable to avoid damage in both the locking & unlocking processes. however, it takes months for dreads to really start looking good! up to 6 months, id say. at first they look flat, loose, deflated, or puffy. oftentimes they stick out funny for a while, or have no body at all. for the first while at LEAST you need to be quite careful about how you sleep-- in fact, i was more conscious of this with dreads then ive ever been with loose hair. a sleeping cap is often necessary. some dread-heads continue wearing sleeping caps after the initial locking-in stage is over. it all depends on how nice you want them to look.

about your list of dreadlock "pros" :

styling: i thought a lot about how to style my hair. not just because they were HEAVY (especially as they gained length) but because others see you sooo differently when you have dreads. and mine were very nice. but you'll need to think about ways to wear it at work so that you continue to look presentable. and also when you sleep-- they were always strangling me and smothering my boyfriend. they are also ITCHY... they're not soft. so it can be oppressive having them around your neck all the time. also, things like wearing hoods, hats, and helmets becomes a whole other issue. especially if youre a cyclist, i would think about this.

products: i did continue to use products on my dreads (all natural!) to keep them healthy, tight, conditioned, clean, and smelling lovely. many people dont use products on dreads but i found them to help. again, it just depends on how much you care about the state of them. many people dont use all the treatments us here on LHC use, but their hair might not be as nice ;)

washing: YES you need to wash your hair! it can totally look oily! it completely gets that "i need to wash my hair" look! especially if you have dandruff/flaky scalp (even those who dont have it sometimes develop this after locking their hair). i think i washed them once a week. which is about what i do with my hair now, really. so not that much a difference in routine. i would recommend finding a dread-specific 'poo bar thats not too conditioning. but you need to keep those suckers clean. the vital thing is letting them dry out between washes though. some people, in an effort to keep their locks squeaky clean, wash them ever (other) day, and end up getting mold/mildew/funky smelling dreads because they never get a chance to thoroughly dry out.

no you wont have to brush it... but make sure youre okay with that idea. a lot of people go crazy not being able to brush their hair!

believe it or not, with dreads you can have bad hair days and good hair days just the same. its maybe not as big a deal in that people expect your dreads to look bad (is this a good thing? haha) but there you go, some days they look inexplicably awful.

the whole ecological footprint thing-- sure-- but you could lower that without dreading your hair so im not convinced thats a reason ;)

now, heres the big one: having dreads was THE most high-maintenance hairstyle i have EVER had!! they will develop lumps and bumps and wispies and holes, dreads will try to grow together and have to be cut/ripped apart, some dreads end up so skinny on top they threaten to fall off, etc etc. unless you're going for the complete chaos of natural, unaided matty dreads, (which, dont get me wrong! they totally have their place and i dont look down on them!) but if you want neat or pretty dreads at all, do not expect an easy time of it ;) palm rolling, waxing, herbal soaks, spritzes, trimmage, and crocheting can all help, and all take a LONG time. maybe once a month i would have to book off an entire day to sit there and do my hair, and then during the month there would be little touchups. i was constantly working on it.

if you're still wanting to do it, kudos, i do love dreads, but when i put them in i thought a lot of the same things you did... and twas not the case ;)

uhm... well, wow, i guess i wrote a lot! if you have any more questions, let me know!

oh, and i have to put it, do expect to get negative comments thrown in with the good. i heard a lot of mean things. people constantly asked me, with wrinkled noses, if i ever washed my hair. one lady told me i would never be able to get a job looking like that. and i was constantly asked for weed. ;) haha!

i should really get some photos up on this forum :ponder:

HTH :D

[Beesweet]

One of my daughters and I locked her hair once. She wore it for almost a year and rocked it. She was only 11/12

I actually have a few views of it:

One is that if it makes you happy and won't kill your hair, do it.

Two is that if it naturally goes that way, it makes sense to do it. My daughter has type 4 hair and it often seemed to be asking to lock itself. It naturally did it, with a little bit of coaxing -- very little product. I am not that into forcing any hair type to do things it wasn't meant to do.

Three, the locking process can often be a journey of sorts -- emotional, psychological, social. For my daughter (and other black women), it represented ALLOWING her hair to be truly natural, embracing that instead of beating it down into straight submission.
When she was done, she was just done, and we did cut it off. She was heading right into adolescence, with all the peer pressure and all that.

I love locks. I expect this daughter will rock some locks once again in her future.

It was definitely more than just a cool "do."

[Fethenwen]

Put in twisties: They look like dreads, but you can take them out. And if you don't, they'll dread! It's a great inbetween hairsyle


ETA: In this forum, twists are called rope braids.
I tried it this morning! I made some loose untidy rope braids and they look awesome :D
But yeah, I got some advice and realized that they would probably not lock that easily. I was thinking of starting out with rope braids like that girl in the picture and hope that they would lock up over time after I probably would have to braid them again after every time I was my hair.


aililiú - Wow! I'm amazed actually that wax worked so well for you! I've heard so many horror stories about peoples dreads starting to get mold because of the wax thing and they get hard to wash.

Beeswax you say? That is interesting.

Sleeping in a sleep cap would be so cute :p

I know dreads has to be washed :) I just thought it would be awesome not having to wash them no more than 1-2 times a week like it is recommended.

I do like pampering my hair, but still if it's THAT much work, I guess I should think this over a bit :hmm:

Thanks for the great advice everyone!

Edit: Oh yeah, by the way, I have seen someone getting her dreads out by soaking her hair in a lot of conditioner and undoing her hair for quite many hours, but she did get them out eventually! So I don't think I would have to cut my hair really short if I want my hair back.

[akurah]

Frankly? you might want to buy fake hair, dread THAT, then braid it into your hair. If you decide you like it, you can leave the braids in and dread the new growth (but the new growth part of the locs will be significantly thinner) or you can take them out and get your hair dreaded "properly".

I would encourage you STRONGLY to try a more temporary form of dreadlocks first unless you've HAD dreads before and already know you like it.

[Fethenwen]

^ That would surely be a smart move.
I have been thinking... of maybe try to make some double ended dreads out of yarn in brown and red and maybe put in one or two dreads with a more crazy color. These would also be a lot longer than my own hair, I think it could be done without starting to look too awkard.

I've seen a few people with this sort of things in their hair, it looks rather impressive but sometimes really knotty or sort of strained at the roots. But maybe I could make them not so tight.

[Isilme]

I know kwaniesiam have experience with dreads:) I think you should talk to her, I imagine she has lots of good advice.

[GlassEyes]

OOOH, IF YOU DO GET DREADS, YOU SHOULD TRY CURLING THEM. IT LOOKS AMAZING.

http://www.ehow.com/video_4466317_curl-dreadlocks-foam-rollers.html

[/this is not a quality post]

In all reality, you should get a dread fall first, and see if that doesn't quell the fever since you do seem to be moving back and forth on the idea. If it doesn't, go for it.

[Katze]

Those dread falls are SO COOL. I really want one...thinking how I could make one (or more...) for myself from the kind of fake hair available here...is it just a matter of ratting the hair into dreads, then attaching them to an elastic somehow?!?

[ohiofritty]

I want some dreadfalls now too D:

[Nightshade]

How to Make Dreadfalls (http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Inexpensive-Yarn-Dread-Falls)

[Fethenwen]

I guess it's just me, but I never liked the look of dread falls that much because they are mostly attached to one high tight bun or two.

[paisley]

Ignore your boyfriend.. he'll get used to it! My bf didn't want me to comb my dreads out, hah. I did it anyway. He got used to it. Now he even compliments my new hair.

I had dreads. You can see a little timeline here. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v469/Polen_sofia/Timeline/dreadstimelinecopy31copy.jpg

I loved them. The most practical hairstyle ever! Only thing that is negative is if you like swimming. The hair gets very very heavy and you don't want it to get wet all the time.

[Fethenwen]

Ignore your boyfriend.. he'll get used to it! My bf didn't want me to comb my dreads out, hah. I did it anyway. He got used to it. Now he even compliments my new hair.

I had dreads. You can see a little timeline here. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v469/Polen_sofia/Timeline/dreadstimelinecopy27copy.jpg

I loved them. The most practical hairstyle ever! Only thing that is negative is if you like swimming. The hair gets very very heavy and you don't want it to get wet all the time.
Hahah :p

Well, we'll see :) I'm enjoying messy hair right now, damn it feels awesome! I noticed that I don't have to wash my hair that often now when it has more curls and is more knotty. It doesn't look limp and dirty anymore. So my last WO washes worked really well too.

I will surely take some pics soon.

[melikai]

From the very little that I know about dreads, I think they can actually be more work than non-dreaded hair, especially if you want them to look nice. There are other, better ways to become lower-maintenance and reduce the impact you have on the environment. I'd just hate to see you ruin all the work you've put into your hair. Will henna work nicely with dreads? If you have a sensitive scalp, you can develop more problems with dreads, and also develop traction alopecia from the weight and pulling.

[Drynwhyl]

I don't think it would be "selfish". I see you want them really bad. I also did but had some obstacles so I didn't, and I shaved off the six I had. Now I think I want them again. When I get bored from my hair I'll just stop brushing it. :)
Go for it! Have a talk with your bf, tell him what you told us here, I think he'll be okay with it when he understands just how much do you want them.


From the very little that I know about dreads, I think they can actually be more work than non-dreaded hair, especially if you want them to look nice. There are other, better ways to become lower-maintenance and reduce the impact you have on the environment. I'd just hate to see you ruin all the work you've put into your hair. Will henna work nicely with dreads? If you have a sensitive scalp, you can develop more problems with dreads, and also develop traction alopecia from the weight and pulling.
-they're really not much work, maybe in the begining if you want them to form really fast and be neat, you need to crochet them, but I think Fethenwen wants to go with the "neglect method" (at least I think I read that xD)
-I actually believe hair is healthier dreaded, because you just leave it alone and it doesn't get damaged by everyday brushing, washing, rubbing against everything
-henna works with dreads, it's just the washing off the particles that's a bit annoying, but yes, it's fine.
-many people mistake the partings between dreads with bald spots, which they are not. Dreadlocks aren't any heavier than normal hair (except when wet, then they're like sponges).
As for the sensitive scalp, just washing with a really mild shampoo will be fine. Some people wash their dreads with harsh soaps "so they dread better" but this just irritates the skin and dries the hair out, leading to brittle, broken ends.

As you can see I'm very pro-dread :p

@paisley- they were beautiful! I think natural dreads are so worth going through 1-2 years of forming them, they're much nicer than backcombed. Unfortunately I don't know if I'll have the patience to just do nothing :P

[NickalNack]

I found this site called dreadlocktruth.com and oh my goodness it has some of the most beautiful dread pictures I've ever seen! Look at these!

http://dreadlocktruth.com/inspire/d/5680-2/1538.jpg

http://dreadlocktruth.com/inspire/d/5767-2/1580.jpg

It makes me drool with awe, as well as it making me want dreads even more. I just don't know if I would miss my afro or not... urg.

But Fethenwen, you should really check that place out. And, I look forward to your pictures!

[Katze]

Inspired by this thread, I made myself some fake dreads to eventually make into a dreadfall. (love that word too). I made two double ended ones out of the same fake hair as my braided extensions, and one out of felted wool.

Pics are in my album.

This site: http://quinnster.fqdn.net/ was super helpful.

I gotta say it is REALLY fun to walk and bike around like this. :D

[Nat242]

I found this site called dreadlocktruth.com and oh my goodness it has some of the most beautiful dread pictures I've ever seen! Look at these!

It makes me drool with awe, as well as it making me want dreads even more. I just don't know if I would miss my afro or not... urg.

But Fethenwen, you should really check that place out. And, I look forward to your pictures!

NickalNack, I suggest you have a look at this thread (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=35939)regarding posting photos. Thanks for posting the link though, it's a great site!

[Fethenwen]

I don't think it would be "selfish". I see you want them really bad. I also did but had some obstacles so I didn't, and I shaved off the six I had. Now I think I want them again. When I get bored from my hair I'll just stop brushing it. :)
Go for it! Have a talk with your bf, tell him what you told us here, I think he'll be okay with it when he understands just how much do you want them.


-they're really not much work, maybe in the begining if you want them to form really fast and be neat, you need to crochet them, but I think Fethenwen wants to go with the "neglect method" (at least I think I read that xD)
-I actually believe hair is healthier dreaded, because you just leave it alone and it doesn't get damaged by everyday brushing, washing, rubbing against everything
-henna works with dreads, it's just the washing off the particles that's a bit annoying, but yes, it's fine.
-many people mistake the partings between dreads with bald spots, which they are not. Dreadlocks aren't any heavier than normal hair (except when wet, then they're like sponges).
As for the sensitive scalp, just washing with a really mild shampoo will be fine. Some people wash their dreads with harsh soaps "so they dread better" but this just irritates the skin and dries the hair out, leading to brittle, broken ends.

As you can see I'm very pro-dread :p

@paisley- they were beautiful! I think natural dreads are so worth going through 1-2 years of forming them, they're much nicer than backcombed. Unfortunately I don't know if I'll have the patience to just do nothing :P
Great advice! Thanks :) Yeah, you're right, I'm not that much into having really neat dreads. More like sort of bushy hair with a few dreads and maybe having some of my front part like my bangs undreaded.
I would consider hennaing sometimes even if I would have dreads, but I have naturally red hair so I would not get that problem of roots showing up.

My, I must say that dreads are soooo misunderstood. Like my mother said something like: "So, you WANT to look like a junkie?!"

:rolleyes:

My teenage anti momma rebel attitude came again right there, I would want to have dreads just to show her :p


I found this site called dreadlocktruth.com and oh my goodness it has some of the most beautiful dread pictures I've ever seen! Look at these!

http://dreadlocktruth.com/inspire/d/5680-2/1538.jpg

http://dreadlocktruth.com/inspire/d/5767-2/1580.jpg

It makes me drool with awe, as well as it making me want dreads even more. I just don't know if I would miss my afro or not... urg.

But Fethenwen, you should really check that place out. And, I look forward to your pictures!
Neat! Thanks for the link!

[ruffian]

All I can say is that if you really really (REALLY) want them...go for it! But you have to be patient, because you will be in for some really goofy hair days in the beginning (for the first year - year and a half most likely).
I had hip-length dreads back in the day (with some loose hair among the dreads), when I was in my late teens and into my early twenties. I loved every minute of it, loved the volume of my gigantic dread-ponytail and the wild tied-up looks you could achieve - but eventually I started to miss things like running my fingers through my hair and just generally got bored with them. So out they came (and yes, it is possible to remove dreads - it just requires enormous amounts of time and several tanker-trucks full of conditioner:lol:)
Be warned - you have to be prepared for some ignorant comments about your hair, some people just can't keep their mouth shut if they don't have anything nice to say; but in my experience you will get just as many compliments as you do criticisms. (But the only thing that matters is if YOU'RE happy. I found dreads gave me loads of self-confidence!)
Oh. And you WILL be asked if you have weed. That is inevitable.:D

Sometimes I get the urge to let my hair dread again...man, sometimes I get that urge BAD. But at the time I had them, I was younger and my hair was growing like a weed, now...not so much. When I get the urge now all I can think of is how long it took for me to grow out of a misguided shoulder-length cut a few years ago, and decided I don't really want to dread up again unless I'm going to keep them for the rest of my life - and I'm not quite I'm ready for that commitment yet:eyebrows:

[joiekimochi]

I really want dreads too! I've wanted them since I was 14 (and I'm 23 now). But I'm Asian with typical super fine super thin super straight hair so it's next to impossible to naturally dread them without some kind of perm. Plus if my roots grow out...won't they be straight? Plus I heard that dreads are irreversible and if you want them out, you'd have to shave them off? My heart aches if I had to shave off the hair I took 7 years to grow out!

[pennyroyal]

paisley~your dreads were amazing!!!

[Fethenwen]

All I can say is that if you really really (REALLY) want them...go for it! But you have to be patient, because you will be in for some really goofy hair days in the beginning (for the first year - year and a half most likely).
I had hip-length dreads back in the day (with some loose hair among the dreads), when I was in my late teens and into my early twenties. I loved every minute of it, loved the volume of my gigantic dread-ponytail and the wild tied-up looks you could achieve - but eventually I started to miss things like running my fingers through my hair and just generally got bored with them. So out they came (and yes, it is possible to remove dreads - it just requires enormous amounts of time and several tanker-trucks full of conditioner:lol:)
Be warned - you have to be prepared for some ignorant comments about your hair, some people just can't keep their mouth shut if they don't have anything nice to say; but in my experience you will get just as many compliments as you do criticisms. (But the only thing that matters is if YOU'RE happy. I found dreads gave me loads of self-confidence!)
Oh. And you WILL be asked if you have weed. That is inevitable.:D

Sometimes I get the urge to let my hair dread again...man, sometimes I get that urge BAD. But at the time I had them, I was younger and my hair was growing like a weed, now...not so much. When I get the urge now all I can think of is how long it took for me to grow out of a misguided shoulder-length cut a few years ago, and decided I don't really want to dread up again unless I'm going to keep them for the rest of my life - and I'm not quite I'm ready for that commitment yet:eyebrows:
Interesting :)

Yeah, I have looked on gigantic dread ponytails with envy, they are so huge :p That is also one reason I would like to get my hair dreaded, it would increase my head size.


I really want dreads too! I've wanted them since I was 14 (and I'm 23 now). But I'm Asian with typical super fine super thin super straight hair so it's next to impossible to naturally dread them without some kind of perm. Plus if my roots grow out...won't they be straight? Plus I heard that dreads are irreversible and if you want them out, you'd have to shave them off? My heart aches if I had to shave off the hair I took 7 years to grow out!
As the above poster said, dreads are fully possible to open with a lot of conditioner and patience. Dunno about the perm, might be that you need it if your hair really is that slippery.

[ruffian]

Yep, it took me about a week of constantly working at my dreads to get them fully out. Of course, you will have to sacrifice a few hairs to get certain knots out, and a lot of hair will come out in the process - but most of it is dead hair that ordinarily would've gotten shed out, but instead got sucked up into the dreadlocks.
Your hair won't look exactly like it did before you let it dread, of course - you'll have some uneven length and broken ends here and there, but after a few months of trimming up the ends you'll be back to "normal". At least that's how it went for me.
Oh, and your roots aren't supposed to lock up -it can be damaging if they do. Mine never did. (I have straight hair also.)
Just food for thought.

[tamif27]

Dreads are a commitment, just like tattooing. You...might... be able to get them out but like most of life, there are no absolutes.

I would certainly try either dreadfalls or braided in falsies before committing to the real deal.

If you look up "Kanekalon dreads" there are lots of tutes out there on how to make your own dreads out of Kanekalon hair - it's not particularly difficult to do. More difficult is getting them braided in, you'll need a friend for that, and there's tutes out there for braiding them in, too

[melikai]

Great advice! Thanks :) Yeah, you're right, I'm not that much into having really neat dreads. More like sort of bushy hair with a few dreads and maybe having some of my front part like my bangs undreaded.



Ahh...I know the look you're going for! I had a few messy dreads like that for a while, many years ago. They formed really easily at my nape. I didn't really care about the condition of my hair then like I do now, and my hair was only shoulder length. They were very fun for the time I had them - I combed them out with conditioner fairly easily once I was tired of them.

[zombi]

I, too, long for dreads -- but I've come to the unhappy conclusion that my hair is just too thin to dread. The weight over time (because shed hair goes into the locks, not falls away, therefore it becomes heavier over time) would cause problems for someone with hair as thin as mine.

I attempted fake dreads before and it caused problems (weight of them caused some hair loss), so I am going to have to just be content without :(

[Ludde]

Most of my locks are palmrolled and sewn.

I have never used wax or perm.

My husband was very much against before but has completely changed his mind as he has come to realize they are clean and smell nice.

I didn't enjoy dreadfalls - they were often painful to wear.

I lost about 14 inches in the shrinking.

People commenting is common. Most often kind remarks, actually. On and off somebody absolutely has to touch the locks to feel the texture.

Personally I think that dreads can be severely gross if unclean, but it can also be the best hairstyle of all.

[lesbia]

i think that if you want dreadlocks you MUST do these. I think they're perfect, i love them, I don't have dreads only because I love comb my hair.
All my friends have dreadlock made these with a crochet hook.. :)

[donnanoble]

There are a lot of different ways (I know several people who've had them) and its important you research it really well and take a lot (like, a couple of days off time) to do it properly. You could have it done professionally, especially if you have a funky hair type, but that would probably be prohibitively expensive. I've seen several people look it up for an hour and try it and long story short 2/3 of them ended up chopping their hair. Not fun.

[Nadine <3]

I wonder if you have any opinions about my situation here, do you think it would be selfish of me to get dreads even if my boyfriend don't want me to?


Nope. It's not his hair. My boyfriend is allowed an opinion on hair, clothes, makeup, but if he ever tried to specifically tell me not to do something I would be kinda mad. He's not in a relationship with my hair after all...

Anyways, I think if you REALLY want them, and you've done reserch and you know how to do and care for them I think you should do it. It's yours and you only have one life to live, ya know?

[cat11]

I don't think it's selfish at all. Would you want your boyfriend to wear his hair in a style he didn't want just because you preferred it?
My ex fiance had beautiful shoulder length ringlets. Then one day he shaved his head. I much preferred his hair longer but what I cared about most was that he was happy with himself.
Everything you say sounds like you passionately want dreads. If that is the case I would say Go for it!

This, exactly. I love my boy freinds long lovely hair but I know he will cut it for a job (though he does plan to grow it back out if he can) and I wont love him any less. Even if he just really wanted to do it. Its not right for a SO to stress you out over your appearance choices. he knows my preference but I wouldnt push iton him or guilt him or tell him hed be less attractive- thats f'ed up

[KittyBird]

This is a zombie thread from 2010.. :brains: :p